00:00I think the first point I would convey to Mr. Trump is that between US and China we would
00:10not want to choose sides because the only side that we will choose is a side of Singapore
00:15and Singaporeans. We act in our national interest. We have strong ties with the US in defense
00:21and security and the US is also a large investor here in Singapore and in the region. China
00:26is one of our largest trading partners so both are important to us and for Singapore
00:29to survive we must continue to maintain our relevance and our credibility with both countries
00:35and in fact with the rest of the world. And because we have been consistent, we have been
00:39principled and reliable, they know that when Singapore takes a stand it is not because we
00:45are doing it at the behest of somebody else but because we have done our own calculation
00:49and we are acting in our long-term national interest. So that's the first point I will
00:54make to Mr. Trump. The second point is that we would like the US to remain engaged in Asia.
01:00As I mentioned the US is a major investor. There are many US companies including a semiconductor
01:05and many areas and if you want to help our SMEs actually having MNCs here whether from US
01:11or from other developed countries is actually helpful to SMEs because it provides opportunities
01:15for SMEs. We shouldn't see this as a zero-sum game. We can help both the SMEs and also the
01:21MNCs to grow and then we help our workers to have better jobs. So the second point I'll
01:26make Mr. Trump is that the US should remain engaged in Asia both for defence and security
01:31but also in the area of economic development and investments. MAGA should not stand for
01:36make America go away. We want America to remain engaged. And the third point I will say to
01:42me is this. That Singapore may be small but we are not without agency. We have options.
01:49And you know earlier we were discussing about how we seek out new options, new trading partners,
01:56new trade links. I think that is part of what we have to demonstrate because as we know Mr.
02:01Trump is a very tough negotiator. And if he knows that we have no other options he will
02:05squeeze us hard. So the best way to negotiate with a tough negotiator is to demonstrate that
02:10we have options. We have like-minded partners that we can work with and we can look at how
02:15we can continue to open up, forge new trade links. We can look at how we can speed up our
02:20enterprise and workforce transformation to help our companies become more productive,
02:24to help our workers become better skilled. And we can also look at how we can team up.
02:29Team up domestically between our tripartite partners but also team up internationally with
02:35the region and with other like-minded partners. I would also like to make a point about the
02:41importance of unity domestically. Because for us to be able to deal with other countries with
02:48confidence and from a position of strength, Mr. Trump must know that when we negotiate with him,
02:54we have the support and backing of Singaporeans. If he thinks that domestically we are not united,
03:00that will be a point of weakness for Singapore. So if we want to be able to navigate in this more
03:05complex uncertain world and to be able to deal with tough negotiators like Mr. Trump, we have to
03:11demonstrate to them that Singapore domestically, our people, we will support the policies, we will stay united.
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